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Range (Newfoundland It frequents)

Newfoundland. "It frequents rocky barrens, feeding on seeds and berries of the stunted plants that thrive in these exposed situations" (Merriam, Orn. and Oöl., viii, 1883, p. 43). 302. Lagopus rupestris (Gmel.). ROCK PTARMIGAN; ROCKER. Ad. & in summer.- General color above grayish, the feathers black basally; head GROUSE, BOB-WHITES, ETC. and neck barred, and back marked with numerous fine wavy lines of gray and white or buffy; central tail-feathers like the back, outer ones fuscous, generally tipped with white; breast and sides like the head and neck; belly white. Ad. in summer.-Above black, barred with ochraceous-buff and margined with grayish; middle tail-feathers the same, outer ones as in the male; middle of the belly white, rest of the under parts like the back, but with more ochraceous-buff. Winter plumage.- Lores black, outer tail-feathers as in summer, rest of the plumage white. W., 7.25; B. from N., 35; depth of B. at N., 32.

Range." Arctic America in general, southeastward to the Gulf of St. Lawrence (Anticosti), except the northern extremity of the peninsula of Labrador, and region thence northward, Greenland and Aleutian Islands " (Bendire).

Nest, usually placed among the dwarf brush or sedge-covered patches of the tundras. Eggs, six to ten, pale cream or yellowish buff, sometimes with a vinaceous-rufous suffusion, spotted and blotched with clove-brown or dark claret-red, 1.65 x 1.18 (Bendire). "In its general manners and mode of living it is said to resemble albus [= L. lagopus], but does not retire so far into the wooded country in the winter" (B., B., and R.). 302a. L. r. reinhardti (Brehm). GREENLAND PTARMIGAN. "Summer male. Similar to corresponding stage of L. rupestris, but less regularly and coarsely barred above. Summer female. - Above chiefly black, this varied irregularly with pale grayish buff, mostly in form of borders to the feathers and spots along their edges, or occasionally imperfect bars, these latter most distinct on wings, where the two colors are in about equal proportion; lower parts light grayish buff, everywhere coarsely barred with black " (Ridgw.).